Interview by Janet Scarborough
of Michelle Goodman, Freelance / Independent Writer
How long have you been
an independent writer?
In 1990 and 1991, I worked in
staff jobs and freelanced a bit on the side -- maybe just 5 hours
a week. In 1992, I left my employee status behind and began
to freelance as much as I could, 15-35 hours a week, supplementing
my income with part-time jobs when work was slow. It wasn't
till 1994 or so that I was able to abandon the part-time jobs altogether
and just freelance full-time.
What was your background
before becoming a writer?
I was the typical journalism
major who wanted to be a writer. I was a reporter for a year
and a half. I was also a publicist for a New York book publishing
company for a year and a half. When I was 24, I vowed never
to have another staff job again. I hated the rigid hours
and I was bored. As a freelancer, I enjoy much more variety
and autonomy.
How did you launch
your writing career?
I pounded the pavement. I
left my full time job before I had any local contacts, plus I moved
from the East Coast to California. Maybe I left too soon. I
had no work lined up, and it was a bit of a battle. I did
obtain my first gig through someone I knew back in New York. I
did copy editing of manuscripts. To get more work, I cold-called
book publishers using the Yellow Pages. I had a 5% success
rate. This was before the Internet. Eventually, word-of-mouth
referrals started to happen, and now marketing myself is much easier.
What is a typical day
like for you?
There really is no typical day! That's
what I like about my career. I do editing, rewrites of articles
or marketing copy, communication with editors with whom I am currently
working or with whom I hope to work, the actual writing, and paperwork
like invoices or query letters.
What is the most challenging
part of your job?
Writing something on spec without
knowing whether it will be accepted, juggling so many things at
once, finding time to market when I am really busy with current
work.
A lot of people believe
that it is impossible to make much money as a writer. Can
you comment on that?
Sure. While it is true that
my first three years were a financial struggle, I'm calm about
money now because I have several good steady clients, I always
have options, and I always have two months of living expenses in
savings.
What is the typical
income as a freelance writer in Seattle?
If you are
successful, you can make $30-50K/yr fairly easily and you could
make twice that if you are willing to work a lot of hours.
How many hours do you
work?
My preference is 25-30 hours per week, although
some weeks I work up to 50 hours when the workload is heavy.
Who have been some
of your clients?
Salon, guru.com, techies.com, San
Francisco Bay Guardian, ICplanet, content-exchange.com, Playboy.com,
seattle24x7.com, and Microsoft Press.
What are the most important
skills to succeed as a freelance writer?
In addition
to strong writing skills, you must be aggressive without being
overbearing. You must have the ability to market yourself. That's
what separates people who can be successfully self-employed from
people who can't. I once hated this part but I've learned
to love it. After awhile, looking at your work samples of
places you have successfully pitched is very reassuring. In
terms of attitude, you need to be able to persevere and to have
some blind optimism so that you don't get too discouraged. While
there is a lot of competition from other writers, it is also true
that there is a lot of variety in specialization and you can find
your own niche.
What advice do you
have for aspiring freelance writers?
Don't launch too
soon. It is better to sit back and tolerate your day job
while you build your writing career, because it can take three
months to two years to develop a full workload. The writing
part is easier than the business part, and your network will slowly
build. Also, you probably need to specialize. And you
might have to take some work that is not your first choice but
pays the bills. Health / medical, business, and high tech
writing are more in-demand and more lucrative. Anything to
do with pop culture is less in demand and less lucrative.
Some great networking for
writers:
Seattle Writergrrls
Women in Digital Journalism
National Writers Union
Hugo House, Seattle
What misperceptions are there about your job that
you would like to clear up?
That I do nothing all day
long at home! Also, it is a misperception that you can't be
financially secure as a writer, because you can.
What are your long-term
goals?
To write more feature articles and less business
how-to pieces. To continue to publish my writing in venues
like Salon and the alternative weekly papers, as well as sell my
stories to a broader spectrum of glossy and alternative publications. I
also write essays and short stories and plan to devote more time
to them this year.
Note: Michelle Goodman is author of The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube (Seal Press, 2007).
Visit her blog at www.anti9to5guide.com.
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